Kurdistan Region’s participation in Davos important for Region’s diplomacy: President Barzani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- Kurdish engagement with world leaders is important for the Region’s diplomatic efforts, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Friday.

President Barzani met earlier with both the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the sidelines of the forum, a day after he spoke in a panel discussion on instability in the Middle East.

 “For us as the Kurdistan Region, it is an opportunity when we participate in such events. We can discuss our position regarding the condition of the Kurdistan Region, the developments that happen in Iraq today generally with the high officials of other countries participating in the event because as you know, the topic of Iraq and the developments that exist generally in the region are of interest for all these countries,” the president told reporters on Friday.

Diplomatic efforts by Kurdish officials has gained respect abroad, he argued.

“I can say that the diplomatic performance and work of the Kurdistan Region is good. The Kurdistan Region, in its capacity as part of Iraq based on the Iraqi constitution, has the respect and interest of the international community,” added the president.

The President also met with US Donald Trump, the first meeting between a Kurdistan Region official and a US President since 2015. 

“In the meeting, we discussed the relationship between Iraq and the Kurdistan Region with President Trump. He had great appreciation and acknowledgment for Peshmerga’s role [in the fight against ISIS], for Kurdistan Region’s role generally in the region both for the protection of the minorities of the area, and he also had appreciation and respect for the Kurdistan Region being a refuge for other people, that it is safe,” the president added.

The Kurdistan Region has remained an anchor of stability during a tumultuous decade in Iraq, with a sectarian war and Sunni insurgency culminating in the Islamic State (ISIS) sweeping across northern and central Iraq. 

The Region continues to host millions of Syrian refugees and Iraqi internally displaced persons throughout the war against ISIS.

2017 dealt a severe blow with the Iraqi push into disputed territories claimed by the KRG in wake of the September 25 independence referendum. Nevertheless, Erbil has slowly regained clout, particularly in intra-Iraqi politics.

With chaos and instability rampant across Iraq, including in the political sphere, the Region has come forth as a balancing force, especially with regards to US-Iran tensions that skyrocketed at the end of December.

With Iraqi Shiite political parties insisting on the expulsion of US forces from Iraq, the president remained adamant that US forces must remain in Iraq, saying that the KRG has a “clear” stance on the issue.

“The stance of the Kurdistan Region regarding the US and Coalition forces in Iraq is clear. We believe these forces have come based on Iraq’s request to help Iraq since 2014, and we believe that their remaining Iraq for countering Daesh is necessary because Daesh remains a big threat to Kurdistan and all of Iraq. That is why we believe that they should remain until all of us are able to say with conviction that Daesh is no more,” the president, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS, said, adding he discussed the topic with Trump.

“I believe that the US President and the US realize the status of the Kurdistan Region. They know that the Kurdistan Region is a constitutional entity in Iraq,” added the president.

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